MINNESOTA WILD SIGNS FORWARD WILL BITTEN TO A ONE-YEAR, TWO-WAY CONTRACT
Aug 8, 2021SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Wild General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has signed forward Will Bitten to a one-year, two-way contract ($840,000/$75,000).
Bitten, 23 (7/10/98), collected 19 points (7-12=19) in 31 games with the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League (AHL) during the 2020-21 season. The 5-foot-10, 167-pound native of Ottawa, Ontario, set a career-high four-game point streak (3-3=6) from April 30-May 9. He tied his career-best three-game goal streak (3g) from April 30-May 7 and tied his career-high three points April 3 at Texas. Four of his seven goals were the first goals of the game which led Iowa and ranked T-3rd in the AHL. The right-shot winger ranked third on the Wild in shots (77) and T-5th in goals, assists and points. He owns 69 points (28-41=69), three power-play goals (PPG), two game-winning goals (GWG), 61 penalty minutes (PIM) and 257 shots on goal in 145 career AHL games with Iowa (2018-21). He has five assists and 14 shots in 11 AHL playoff contests (2019).
Bitten collected 217 points (88-129=217), 122 PIM, 20 PPG, six GWG and three shorthanded goals in 257 career games with Plymouth, Flint and Hamilton of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in four seasons (2014-18) and won the OHL Championship in 2018 with the Bulldogs. He has represented Canada at the 2016 IIHF Under-18 World Championship and won gold with Canada at the 2016 Hlinka Memorial Tournament.
Bitten was acquired by Minnesota on Oct. 3, 2018 from Montreal in exchange for Gustav Olofsson. He was drafted by the Canadiens in the third round (70th overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft.
Iowa Wild hockey is presented by MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center. For more information, please visit www.iowawild.com.
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